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Times-Advocate, 1981-04-22, Page 4Pogo 4 Times -Advocate, April 22, 1981 rimes 8stoblishtd 1873 Advocate Established 1881 Amalgamated 1924 dvocate SERv1NG CANADA'S BEST FARMLAND C'A NA OW N.A. CLASS 'A' AND ABC MEMBER ONTARIO PRESS COUNCIL Published by J W. Eedy Publications limited LORNE EEDY, PUBLISHER Editor — Bill Batten Assistant Editor — Ross Hough Advertising Manager — Jim Beckett Composition Manager — Harry DeVries Business Manager — Dick Jongkind Phone 235-1331 ................................:.:..: Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada $17.00 Per Year; USA 535.00 4 Need protection The recent shooting death of a St. Thomas man who exchanged gunfire with police, points up once again that the treatment of mental illness is handled all too callously in this province. Neighbors of the victim had ex- pressed concerns several times prior to the incident. It had been at the request of those same neighbors that the man had been treated in a psychiatric hospital last year. There is an obvious need for patients to have follow-up ex- aminations after their release. The situation was much the same for a Grand Bend man who was con- victed recently for the murder of his mother. He too had been released from a psychiatric hospital and at the time of the crime, was judged to have been in- sane. It is a delicate matter, but one that deserves some serious investigation. The public has a right to be protected from such people when it is possible, and equally important, those people have to be protected from themselves. Hopefully, an inquest will be held into the St. Thomas incident and the jury will come up with some viable recommendations to prevent the in- creasing number of tragedies of this nature. Effort pays off The residents of Grand Bend should be proud. They've won the battle to keep theirtchool open. The community is to be commend- ed for pulling together. Those who were members of the SETOC (School is Essential to Our Community) com- mittee worked diligently and involved the businessmen, service clubs and churches. The importance of the school to everyone in the area — not just the children and parents — was stressed. Such a strong community spirit must have impressed the school district study committee and the trustees on the Lambton Board of Education. Those who attended the study com- mittee meetings are to be con- gratulated for not letting the fight slip into a mudslinging match between Grand Bend and Kinnaird schools. In the early stages, it appeared to be a battle between Kinnaird and Grand Bend, with only one survivor. But the SETOC committee was sensitive enough to realize that Kinnaird's school meant as much to their community as Grand Bend school meant to them. By working with the Kinnaird com- munity, both schools were winners. They will remain open for another two years, and if enrolment hasn't in- creased by that time, there will be a further study. It is hoped that with the new sewage system, and some revitaliza- tion of Grand Bend's downtown, there will be a sufficient growth in population to keep the school viable. Same privileges The Ontario Safety League reminds motorists that motorcycle drivers are given the same privileges as motorists and are subject to the same 'rules of the road'. Watch for the motorcycle and treat it like any other vehicle -- give it room. Watch for mopeds, bicycles and remember that a moped is a slow - accelerating vehicle — some models must be pedalled before they gain speed and might also prove a little wobbly at this point. Be particularly careful of the two wheel driver when train and streetcar tracks are present. Negotiating tracks is a hazardous operation with these vehicles -- don't crowd them. And when parking on a street, double check for bicylces, mopeds and motorcycles ` WV4 Mo' ra 'y, By SYD FLETCHER After working in a rural community for a lot of years i have grown to admire and respect farmers, but after all this time I'm not sure i totally understand them. i often wonder why they stay in the business What other group is so much criticized by con- sumer groups? Every time a loaf of bread goes up a penny before opening your door. Research into motorcycle accidents indicates that in most crashes involving an automobile, the driver of the automobile is at fault. In most in- stances, the car is making a left turn in front of the motorcycle when the coll- sion occurs. Cars passing motorcycles and cutting in too quickly is the second most fre- quent contributing cause. The same danger is present with the moped and the Ontario Safety League stresses the need for motorists to check for all two - wheeled vehicles before making a left or right turn. The two wheeler is with us, sharing the roads. Motorcyclists, in the main, are responsible individuals. They need the co-operation of the motorists. .c Perspectives you can hear the screams from here to Ottawa. Then you hear complaints from the city people who move out into the country for all that fresh air and freedom, then take up a peti- tion because the farmer is spreading manure over the fields Other people complain because of pollution in their streams from manure yet demand high quality fruit and vegetables which re- quire all kinds of pesticides and herbicides to maintain that degree of quality. What other groups is sub- jected to such tremendous financial pressure from ris- ing fuel prices, inflated feed and seed prices, and land prices that are higher than anyone could possibly have predicted ten yers ago. Then this same group of people is expected to spend sixty or seventy thousand dollars for a piece of equip- ment that may well be used for only one or two weeks out of the year, if it doesn't break down on the first day of harvest, and come up smiling. As i said, I often have wondered why they stay in the business. • Next week I'll pass on a few opinions about why farmers 'hang in there' despite these problems. "Do you have anything that will give him enough energy to mow the lawn on weekends?" One foot in the door It was suggested recently by a former member of Exeter council that the press should be allowed to cover committee meetings, in light of his con- cern that most of the decisions were be- ing made in committee and few details or explanation of the reasons behind certain decisions were being outlined at the open sessions of council. It was a concern shared by at least one member of council and there appeared to be little opposition from members in allowing the press to at- tend committee sessions. In fact, the press was permitted to observe the deliberations last week when council as a whole viewed the 1981 budget for the first time. If that was an indication of what goes on at committee meetings, this member of the press has some reser- vations about attending future sessions. That reservation is prompted primarily from the fact the session lasted until 1:20 a.m. and that's well beyond my bedtime particularly when the alarm goes off so early Tuesday morning to get the writer in gear for clearing the decks for production day. Most members of council would probably agree that such a lengthy ses- sion is not conducive to sustained con- centration on such an important matter as the budget and it should have been adjourned to a second sitting, even at the cost of a minor delay in the final passing. Councillor Tom Humphreys indicated his day had started at 5:00 a.m. and that makes about 20'/a hours and left him with only 3'/z hours of sleeping time before tackling the next day. The press was permitted to remain at the budget session on the basis of not reporting any of the discussion or figures until the final deliberations took place, and the writer must admit to be- ing at a Toss to explain the reasoning behind that edict. While we welcomed the opportunity to sit in on the discussions to get the background behind the thinking that will go into the budget, there was nothing that came up in the marathon session that should be withheld from the ratepayers. Ironically: there was a suggestion that one of the more contentious issues, the matter of a walkway on the east side of the Main St. bridge, should be subject to a public survey before any decision was made on including the $30,- 000 expenditure in the budget. Press coverage of differing opinions on the walkway possibly would have resulted in some public feed -back for members before reaching their final decision. There were no delicate issues dis- cussed, such as land acquisitons or per- sonnel matters. The major portions of the budget were cut and dried due to the fact decisions on most of the expen- ditures for this year had been made previously by council. Why not give the ratepayers and the local civic bodies which are affected by the budget an opportunity to have a preview of the figures and the position of council members before the budget is finally passed? It at least gives them an opportunity for some 11th hour lobbying, rather than being left with no alternative but complaints after they are given the final decision. • • One of the side issues arising from the budget discussion was the matter of car and mileage allowances for town employees. It was noted that there are currently various methods being used to reimburse employees with some be- ing on a fixed annual or monthly rate, while others are paid on the basis of ac- tual mileage. Sugar and Spic Dispe�ised by Smiley Obviously, all employees should be subjected to the same rules and the fairest method is for each to submit claims for reimbursement on actual mileage. That may well be a bit of a nuisance as it requires employees to keep a log for the use of their private vehicles while on town affairs, but it puts them all on an equitable basis and of course the work involved in recording mileage is done on company time. Council should move to have all boards implement the system as soon as possible. • • While it may not be considered a side issue, the capital costs involved in maintaining the South Huron rec centre are disconcerting, although indications are that the local facility is not alone in that regard. The board is faced with sizeable ex- penditures for such things as painting because the original is peeling, new chairs tolreplacethose which are falling apart even under normal use, new doors, extensive repairs to the ice mak- ing equipment, etc., etc. When the facility was built, one of the major selling points of the engineers was that it was to be virtually a maintenance -free facility. Obviously, it is far from that. Certainly. it must be recognized that engineers can make mistakes or that suppliers misrepresent their products, but somehow they should be required to help correct the problems. A one-year holdback on fees is ob- viously insufficient and the local coun- cil should consider making representa- tion to 'one of the municipal associations in the province to spearhead a move to require contrac- tors and engineers to provide lengthier guarantees for their services and products. H/1 The champ wins close ones This being written on the eve of the provincial election in Ontario, but it could be the eve of any election in any province in this far-flung dominion. Going up against the incumbent government resembles very much a promising heavyweight fighter going up against the world champion. He has to knock the champ out, or make him look so foolish that even the judges have to award the challenger the title. If it's anywhere near close, the champ wins. How does this apply to provincial politics? Well, in the first place, the party in power has its fingers in a stranglehold on the public purse. This means that it can run an overwhelming advertising campaign, conduct its own polls, and throw grants and patronage in all directions es- pecially when a seat is in danger. Every nickel of this vast wastage comes out of :your pocket and mine. A provincial election costs you and me anywhere from ten to a hundred million dollars, most of it disguised in the form of government information, government announcements of ten million here, two million there , eight million elsewhere, and so on. it means that the government, fighting a supposedly democratic elec- tion, is in with both hands to public money, scattering it wherever it might glean votes, regardless of the provin- cial debt, regardless of us, who are put- ting up the bucks. it means that the government can cynically hire clever people to write speeches, brilliant people to plan glossy ad campaigns, brutal people to twist arms and remind of past favors, and opportunists to denigrate the opposition parties. The latter, without access to our money, can fight only with what they have, and it's an uphill battle. They can't affordthe opulent advertising, the sybaritic sycophancy of a venal press, the bus or the plane with the free bar, the free buses to pack nomination meetings. But, lo, all is not lost. People are not sheep; not quite. Every so often, a slick. glossy government campaign goes down the drain, as The People suddenly demand to know what the hell the government stands for, besides motherhood, prosperity, and a turkey in every seat in the legislature. It happened in B.C., when Dave Barrett knocked out the right-wing government of Wacky Bennett. And in Manitoba, when right-wing Sterling Lyon knocked out the left-wing NDP it happened in Quebec, when the PQ knocked off the smooth Liberal organization, riddled with patronage and corruption and fear. And it happen- ed before that in Quebec when the i,iherals, before they became rich and slick. bumped the Duplessis, right-wing Union Nationale, now a mere shadow on the Quebec horizon. Being of Irish extraction, I always, without fail, vote against the govern- ment. By the time this appears in print, the Tories in Ontario, who have a menage a trois with the NDP federals and the Liberal government in Ottawa (doesn't that boggle the mind?) will likely have formed another minority government. llow could they be defeated, with all that money, and a leader who epitomizes all the small town, small-minded attitudes of traditional Tory Ontario? But I'm in a quandary. Out on my front lawn is a sign urging people to vote NDP. My wife, in a weak moment, allowed a friend to talk her into install- ing it, with my urging. I can't vote Tory, because I detest and despise a government that has allowed Ontario to become a second- rate province, despite its enormous resources, and because I resent the manner in which the Tory leader, a fairly mediocre politician who squeak- ed into the leadership by about the same margin as Joe Clark, and only because the Northern Ontario voters had to get home by bus, rail and plane, and couldn't vote in the last ballot, and who chooses to scatter my money wherever it will buy a vote. Why not vote, then, for the NDP man, a good man, a man of intellect and in - Mainstream Canada How bureaucrats run promotion business By W. Roger Worth A Winnipeg doctor is some- what less than amused about the contents of a recent en- velope he received from the nation's capital. On opening, the doctor found an expensive, glossy, four-color advertisement pro- moting the glories of a report on preventive medicine com- missioned by the Conference of Deputy Ministers of Health, Canada. Roger Worth is Director, Public Affairs, Canadian Federation of Independent Business. The promotion piece details the contents of the "198 -page monograph" and includes pos- itive observations on the pub- lication from prominent health professionals and authoritative journals. • ' it's obvious to the doctor that hordes of Ottawa bureau- crats have spent a lot of time, effort and taxpayer dollars to ensure the report will receive the broadest distribution pos- sible. Which is probably reason- able, considering that preven- live medicine and Its effect on overall health costs Is becoming an important issue in Canada. Included with the high-class sales pitch to the Winnipeg physician is an order form (please print) requesting name, firm, address, city, province, etc., etc., etc. There is also a slot to write in the "enclosed S" and others for Visa and Master Card charge numbers. • Meanwhile, another section of the advertisement carefully indicates orders must be "pre- paid" by postal money order or cheque to the order of the Receiver General of Canada. The doctor's problem: "1 note with interest the price of the publication is nowhere to be found. 1 also note that the order must be prepaid." The doctor wonders "how much this classic bureaucratic bungling will cost Canadian taxpayers." It's a good question to ask, particularly at a time when the bureaucrats are getting into the "promotion" business in a big way. ENERGYSCOPE Municipalities can help promote energy efficiency Municipal officials can use their official plans and bylaws to help Ontario reach its target of a secure energy future. Think about it. A municipal council cannot force homeowners to turn down their thermostats or in- sulate their homes. But it can improve the community's over- all energy efficiency through wise planning. And a council cannot force drivers to have their cars tuned for more efficient operation. But in larger centres it can en- courage drivers to leave vehi- cles at home by providing a fast, comfortable and reliable public transit service. There is no universal rule — each municipality has its own problems and needs. That's why the Ontario Minis- try of Energy published a free booklet called Energy Effi- ciency in Municipalities: The Law. "This pamphlet catalogues numerous ways by which mu- nicipalities can incorporate energy efficiency into their official plans and bylaws:. Energy Minister Hobert Welch says. "Local council members can pursue the methods they feel are most appropriate for their community." Municipalities in Ontario can use their legal powers to improve the efficient use of energy, both through energy conservation and through in- creasing the use of renewable energy sources. For example, councils can plan and zone for medium - density, mixed-use develop- ments. These are the most energy efficient because: • mixed-use means stores and services are closer to the homes; tap , eft 74, Energy Ontario • units are usually smaller or semi-detached which means reduced external surface and less heat loss through walls or roofs: • houses are closer together so municipal and other serv- ices are more energy efficient;- • there is a greater potential for public transit, car pooling and district heating. Even the layout of a subdi- vision can he made more en- ergy efficient when things are considered such as: • constructing houses with a southern exposure to make optimum use of passive solar energy; • ensuring access to sunshine through careful design of building shape, location and height; • using landscaping design to shelter homes from prevailing winds. When it comes to saving gasoline, there are many things a municipal council can do, such as: • making public transit more attractive by improving service; • encouraging use of carpools, vanpools or public transit by setting aside special traffic lanes during Hush hours for buses or vehicles carrying several occupants; • smoothing traffic flows by restricting on -street parking and converting four-way stops to two-way stops wherever possible. These are just some of the ways Ontario municipalities can help improve energy effi- ciency. For more information, write to Energyscope, care of the Ministry of Energy, GMS Box 37, Queen's Park, Toronto M7A 267. ENERGYSCOPE is prepared by the Ontario Ministry of Energy as part of Energy Ontario tegrity? Because, while he is a good man, and would make an excellent representative, his party can't win., Thus, I'm going to vote Liberal, even though I don't know a thing about the Liberal candidate, except what I hear. As a result, I will be drummed out of the teachers' union, which has urged all teachers to vote against the Liberals. Why? Because the Liberals have chosen education as one of their sacred cows to attack. And not a bad choice. The public, as well as any teachers, is fed up to the ears with the present educational system. Include me in. 1 think the system, which by the way was architectured by the present provincial premier when he was Minister of Education, neither knows where it has been nor where it is going. It is full of brilliant young people with new ideas, old fogies who fight the new ideas at every turn, and middle- aged nyerps who can't see past salaries and pensions. Bury me not on the lone prairie.Bury me instead undera heap of frustrated youngeople who are getting neither an adequate education for a job, nor an adequate education for life with a capital L.